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Dancing on Ice has proven to be one of the most successful reality TV shows of all time, but it looked set to be consigned to the history books in 2014 when Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean announced they were leaving the show. The famous ice-skating couple returned for series 10 in 2018, though and, since then, the competition has been going strong. Now in its 12th series, and hitting exceptional ratings, it looks like Dancing on Ice could be around for a while longer.
If you were asked to think of a list of reality TV shows from the UK, you would have a pool of hundreds of series to choose from. Of those, it is reasonably likely that Dancing on Ice would be one of the first things you thought of. The ITV Studios production is considered to be one of the genre’s elite, alongside the likes of Strictly Come Dancing and I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!
It has all the factors required for it to be a success. The presenting duo of Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield is perhaps only rivalled by Ant and Dec in terms of popularity. The pair reunited for the return of Dancing on Ice in 2018, and have presented it together ever since. In addition to these national treasures, Torvill and Dean on the judges’ panel also have major pulling power. To top it off, the show usually includes much-loved celebrities who are willing to have a laugh at themselves and try something new.
Rewatch our Pros' heart-stopping gravity-defying aerial performance… if you're feeling brave! 😨 #DancingOnIce https://t.co/kHI47L5S4C pic.twitter.com/8WqrdQWxbA
— Dancing on Ice (@dancingonice) January 7, 2020
When the debut of the 2020 edition of Dancing on Ice aired on the 5th of January, it beat the second episode of the latest Doctor Who series in ratings. 5.14 million people tuned in to watch the latest batch of celebrities trying out their skills on the ice. In comparison, 4.6 million viewers watched Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor in action for the show’s twelfth series. However, another new reality series, The Masked Singer, attracted 5.5 million viewers for its debut episode.
This year’s instalment of Dancing on Ice has seen the series’ first-ever same-sex skating couple in Ian “H” Watkins and Matt Evers, and this partnership may have helped to attract more viewers for the debut episode. The ITV series reached the milestone of a same-sex pairing before Strictly, and it has been lauded for this. However, Watkins is not favoured by bookies to win the competition, with Perri Kiely deemed the most likely at around 2/1. In terms of Dancing on Ice Betting – UK 2020 recommended bookies, bettors can find odds at Paddy Power and Betfair, among others, if you want to have a go at guessing who will be slipping and sliding their way to victory this year.
The ratings for the first episode of series 12 were promising, but there is a chance they could drop off as the show goes on. This was seen with The Masked Singer, which lost over one million viewers on its second episode. There is a feeling, however, that Dancing on Ice has nailed the formula. For this reason, it could be on our screens long into the future.